Letter to Editor: The Face of an Addict

Why does it take the pharmacy murders to call attention to the ongoing
death toll of opiate addiction on Long Island?

Do we not see the face of the addict as belonging to “one of our own” and only identify with the scourge in the form of the innocent bystander?

In fact, the face of the addict is known to each and every one of us. That face is a member of our own family, or that of a friend or relative. It is an “experiment” gone awry that eventually ravages the system of the individual in the form of chronic illness that contaminates each and every one of the community institutions that are exposed; in this most recent case, the innocent victim in a local Seaford pharmacy.

It’s time to think about an integrative approach to address this epidemic facing our own loved ones. Treatment for addiction is often thought as a mental health issue or substance abuse issue. However, research shows that individuals most often suffer both problems. We should demand a new comprehensive treatment strategy to include treatment for mental illness and substance abuse as a step in the right direction, and standardized insurance that adequately covers a reasonable length of stay as another rallying point.

The choice of action is collectively ours to make.


(Editor's Note: Dr. Audrey Freshman, PhD, LCSW, CASAC has nearly 30 years experience in conducting interventions, diagnostic assessment and treatment of adolescents, adults and families coping with issues of substance use and abuse. Prior to Adelphi, she was the associate director of Tempo Group, a New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (OASAS) agency located on Long Island.)